Finnlines and Stora Enso expand cooperation on lower-carbon shipping
Stora Enso will use Finnlines’ Green Lane service for maritime transport of packaging board and wood-based products across European supply chains.
Finnlines and Stora Enso have expanded their cooperation to include lower-carbon maritime transport for packaging board and wood-based products, integrating Finnlines’ Green Lane service into the industrial group’s European logistics operations.
Under the arrangement, Stora Enso will use the shipping company’s Green Lane offering for selected sea transportation requirements, supporting efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with its supply chains.
The cooperation represents a commercial application of Finnlines’ existing low-carbon shipping solution within the forest products and packaging industries.
Green Lane provides alternative fuel options
Finnlines’ Green Lane service offers customers renewable biofuel and electricity-based alternatives to conventional fossil-fuel shipping.
According to the company, its renewable biofuel option can reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional fossil fuels.
The service operates through an energy substitution approach. For transport covered by Green Lane, Finnlines commits to replacing an equivalent amount of fossil-fuel energy with alternative energy within its fleet network.
This arrangement does not necessarily mean that the vessel carrying a particular customer’s cargo directly uses the alternative fuel associated with that shipment.
Finnlines states that the resulting emission reductions are independently verified annually, while participating customers receive certificates documenting the reported reductions.
The biofuel used under the programme is ISCC-certified.
Cooperation covers European industrial supply chains
Finnlines provides regular maritime connections across the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Bay of Biscay, serving industrial cargo movements between Finland and several European markets.
Its North Sea and Biscay network includes services connecting Finland with Poland, Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Services to Spain are operated by Finneco-class hybrid Ro-Ro vessels, which incorporate batteries, solar panels and air lubrication technology.
The company said Green Lane is available on selected routes and customer flows, subject to renewable energy availability.
For Stora Enso, the arrangement is intended to support its climate objectives by addressing emissions associated with the transportation of packaging board and wood-based products.
The companies have not disclosed the cargo volumes covered by the cooperation, its financial terms or the specific emission reductions expected from Stora Enso’s participation.
